Human tau (microtubule-associated protein tau (neurofibrillary tangle protein, paired helical filament-tau, PHF-tau)) is a neuronal microtubule-associated protein found predominantly in axons and functions to promote tubulin polymerization and to stabilize microtubules. Eight isoforms (isoform A, B, C, D, E, F, G, fetal-tau) are found in the human brain, the longest isoform comprising 441 amino acids (isoform F, Uniprot P10636-8). Tau and its properties are also described by Reynolds, C. H., et al., J. Neurochem. 69 (1997) 191-198.
Tau, in its hyperphosphorylated form, is the major component of paired helical filaments (PHF), the building block of neurofibrillary lesions in Alzheimer's disease (AD) brain. Tau can be phosphorylated at its serine or threonine residues by several different kinases including GSK3beta, cdk5, MARK and members of the MAP kinase family.
Tauopathies are characterized by abnormal hyperphosphorylation of tau and are according to Iqbal, K., et al. (Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1739 (2005) 198-210):                Alzheimer disease, including tangle-only form of the disease        Down syndrome, adult cases        Guam Parkinsonism dementia complex        Dementia pugilistica        Pick disease        Dementia with argyrophilic grains        Fronto-temporal dementia        Cortico-basal degeneration        Pallido-ponto-nigral degeneration        Progressive supranuclear palsy        Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker disease with tangles.        
So far nearly 40 serine (S)/threonine (T) phosphorylation sites have been found in tau from Alzheimer's disease brains (Hanger, D. P., et al., J. Biol. Chem. 282 (2007) 23645-23654). The development of tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease is related to its phosphorylation state. However, most of the 40 phosphorylation sites are not associated with disease pathology since they are also found in tau extracted from healthy, fetal brain tissue. Only a few phosphorylations are unique to the disease state and are presumably responsible for the abnormal, aggregation and characteristic insolubility that define tau in the PHFs of Alzheimer brain (Morishima-Kawashima, M., et al., J. Biol. Chem. 270 (1995) 823-829). According to Pei, J. J., et al. (J. Alzheimer's Disease 14 (2008) 385-392) the existing literature provides limited and unclear information about which of these sites are specific to AD brains. Pei used a list of phospho-specific antibodies to tau and measured their levels in homogenates of the medial temporal cortex from 22 AD patients and 10 controls.
Bussiere, T., et al. (Acta Neuropathol. 97 (1999) 221-230) described that phosphorylated serine 422 (pS422) on tau proteins is a pathological epitope found in several diseases with neurofibrillary degeneration. Augustinack, J. C., et al., (Acta Neuropathol. 103 (2002) 26-35) described pS422 as correlating with the severity of neuronal pathology in Alzheimer's disease. Guillozet-Bongaarts, A., (J. Neurochem. 97 (2006) 1005-1014) described the phosphorylation of tau at serine 422 as being part of the maturation process of PHFs. Tau pS422 is also found in association with developing pathology in various transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease. Thus, Deters, N., et al., mentioned in Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 379 (2009) 400-405 that double-transgenic Dom5/pR5 mice showed 7-fold increased numbers of hippocampal neurons that contain tau specifically phosphorylated the pathological 5422 epitope. Goetz, J., et al., (Science 293 (2001) 1491-1495) reported the appearance of tau phosphorylated at S422 in the brains of tau P301L transgenic mice injected with Abeta42 fibrils.
EP 2 009 104 relates to epitopes of the tau protein which occur in a phosphorylated state in tau protein from Alzheimer's disease PHFs and to the use of said epitopes for the generation of antibodies specifically detecting Alzheimer's tau protein. WO 2002/062851 and U.S. Pat. No. 7,446,180 relate to antibodies with a specificity to an abnormally truncated form of tau protein and diagnostic and therapeutic aspects in relation to Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies.
WO 1998/22120 relates to a method of treating a patient with Alzheimer's disease comprising the step of administering to the patient an antibody against phosphorylated tau fragment of amino acids about 207 to about 222, amino acids about 224 to about 240, and amino acids about 390 to about 408. Animal studies where the phosphorylated tau fragment 379-408 [P-Ser396,404] is used to vaccinate tau transgenic mice are mentioned in Asuni, A. A., et al., J. Neuroscience 27 (2007) 9115-9129. US 2008/0050383 relates to methods of treating and preventing Alzheimer's disease or other tauopathies in a subject by administering a tau protein fragment.
Hasegawa, M., et al. (FEBS Lett. 384 (1996) 25-30) report monoclonal antibody (AP422) specific for phosphoserine 422 in microtubule-associated protein tau.
In WO 2001/55725 an antibody that specifically recognizes tau and an antibody that specifically recognizes phospho-tau (181) for use in a method for the in vivo diagnosis of a tauopathy and/or for the in vivo differential diagnosis of a tauopathy versus a non-tauopathy is reported.
In WO 2002/027017 an antibody prepared from a polypeptide immunogen having a phosphorylated serine is reported. WO 2002/062851 relates to antibodies with a specificity to an abnormally truncated form of tau protein and diagnostic and therapeutic aspects in relation to Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies.
In WO 2004/016655 an antibody specific to a central nervous system (CNS) tau protein, wherein the antibody specifically recognizes a CNS tau protein but not a peripheral tau protein and wherein the antibody specifically recognizes an amino acid sequence of a connective portion between the amino acid sequence encoded by Exon 4 of a gene encoding a tau protein and the amino acid sequence encoded by Exon 5 thereof as an epitope is reported.
Monoclonal antibodies against Tau(pS422) are described, for example, in EP 1 876 185. Polyclonal antibodies against Tau(pS422) are commercially available (e.g., ProSci Inc. and Biosource International).
In WO 2006/055178 a method for inhibiting the phosphorylation of tau protein at Ser202/Thr205 comprising contacting a sample containing a tau protein with the antibody or antigen binding fragment that binds amyloid beta-derived diffusible ligands thereby inhibiting the phosphorylation of tau protein at Ser202/Thr205 is reported.
An antibody preparation that specifically binds to tau phosphorylated at tyr394 and/or tyr310 is reported in WO 2007/019273. Animal studies where the phosphorylated tau fragment 379-408 [P-Ser396,404] is used to vaccinate tau transgenic mice are mentioned in Asuni, A. A. et al., J. Neuroscience 27 (2007) 9115-9129.
EP 2 009 104 relates to epitopes of the tau protein which occur in a phosphorylated state in tau protein from Alzheimer's disease PHFs and to the use of said epitopes for the generation of antibodies specifically detecting Alzheimer's tau protein.
US 2008/0050383 relates to methods of treating and preventing Alzheimer's disease or other tauopathies in a subject by administering a tau protein fragment.
In WO 2010/037135 an isolated, synthetic or recombinant polypeptide or peptide comprising a first domain comprising, or consisting of, a ligand for a blood brain barrier (BBB) receptor or equivalent and a second domain comprising, or consisting of an enzyme or composition that slows the rate of aggregation of a protein aggregate, inhibits the formation of a protein aggregate, or reverses, digests or dissolves a protein aggregate is reported. An antibody, particularly a monoclonal antibody or functional parts thereof, capable of recognizing and binding to a tau protein in vitro and/or in vivo is reported in WO 2010/115843.
In WO 2011/026031 a monoclonal antibody or its fragment that specifically binds tau oligomers and does not bind soluble tau or tau fibrils, useful for treating tauopathy, e.g., Alzheimer's disease, progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration is reported. An isolated antibody that specifically binds human tau protein phosphorylated at one or more of Ser(238) and Thr(245) is reported in WO 2011/053565.
In WO 2012/045882 an antibody which specifically binds to a phospho-epitope on the mammalian tau protein, useful for treating neurodegenerative disorders such as tauopathies, and for treating or alleviating cognitive deficits is reported. A human monoclonal anti-tau antibody or a tau binding fragment thereof is reported in WO 2012/049570. A method of preventing or treating Alzheimer's disease or other tauopathies in a subject, comprising administering antibodies to a human in need of therapy for Alzheimer's disease or other tauopathy, the antibodies having specificity to abnormal forms of tau protein, said antibody showing no binding and/or reactivity to a normal tau protein and being administered under conditions and in an amount(s) effective to prevent or treat Alzheimer's disease or other tauopathy is reported in WO 2012/106363.
In WO 2012/149365 an antibody which shows reactivity with aggregated tau and substantially no reactivity with non-aggregated tau, wherein the aggregated tau comprises at least two tau proteins cross-linked to each other, either directly or through a linker, at one or more cysteine residues is reported.
A composition useful in treating tauopathy, e.g., Alzheimer disease comprises antibody binding to tau, phosphorylated serine modified compound at specific position specifically binding to specific phosphorylated tau and its fragment and carrier is reported in WO 2010/142423.
In EP 1 876 185 A, an antibody which recognizes phosphorylated polypeptides is reported. In WO 2013/151762 a humanized tau antibody is reported. In WO 2014/016737 novel chicken monoclonal antibodies against human phosphorylated tau and uses thereof are reported. In WO 2014/016737 novel chicken monoclonal antibodies against human phosphorylated tau and uses thereof are reported. Antibodies selective for pathological tau dimers and prefibrillar pathological tau oligomers and their uses in treatment, diagnosis and monitoring of tauopathies are reported in WO 2012/149365.
In WO 2015/091656 humanized anti-Tau(pS422) antibodies and methods of use are reported. In WO 2015/101586 bispecific anti-hapten/anti-blood brain barrier receptor antibodies, complexes thereof and their use as blood brain barrier shuttles are reported.